


The Rescue

by TaraTyler



Series: Deanoru [5]
Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F, I basically took canon and did what I wanted with it, No Xavin Au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 23:10:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17517599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaraTyler/pseuds/TaraTyler
Summary: When Karolina doesn't come back to the Hostel, Nico is very much not pleased and willing to do anything to get her back.





	The Rescue

It took a long while for Nico to bring herself to re-emerge after the PRIDE had successfully split up her family. She was filled with utter rage that could only be overshadowed by how sad she was. Sore ribs reminded her of how well her parents had handed her own ass to her. Then the Staff had taken over and Nico didn’t remember what had happened.

When she had come to, exhaustion and soreness tainting every inch of her, the glass wall had been shattered and was scattered all around the unconscious forms of her parents, the memory still haunting her. Nico leaned her full body weight upon the Staff of One as she shoved herself out of the bed she’d been sharing with Karolina Dean since they had found their hiding place. She never should have allowed them to separate but at the time she had felt more like a liability than anything else. The Staff of One didn’t operate unless she could form a coherent word.

Nico knew she was going to have to push through her soreness and how she was feeling, and go hunt down whomever of the PRIDE had taken her girlfriend… ex-girlfriend (?) and give them hell, or maybe send them there. Karolina Dean was the moral compass of their group, the light to balance out Nico’s darkness. Maybe the other girl had been right all along. It was time Nico embraced that darkness, and use it for the strength it had shown itself to be.

Though the consequences to herself afterward had wrecked Nico; she had definitely been at her strongest when the darkness of The Staff of One had taken over completely. Nico was confident that was a very bad thing for her as a person, even if it was a good thing for the team and the world. If darkness was going to help rescue Karolina, then Nico was willing to risk it all… no matter the peril for herself. The team, the world… they would all be better off with Karolina more than Nico. At least, that’s how Nico felt.

“We have the three of us. What are we going to do next?” Nico asked when she arrived in the dining room of the hideout and met the inquiring eyes of her friends. “I am not in my best shape right now and Alex, for all your brains you don't have super-powers… Molly’s just a kid… How are we going to do this?”

“How we do everything… together.” Alex said with a heavy and tired sigh. “We’re down by a few, but we’ll make it. I believe in us.”

“I don’t know how much you should believe in me right now.” Nico confessed, her lack of confidence obvious in her voice. “The Staff took over again, while I was fighting against my parents. Like physically fighting with fists and kicks. I fell unconscious and when I woke up everything around me had shattered and I had knocked them out.”

“I’m going to believe in you no matter what.” Molly interjected. “You haven’t let me down while you’ve been leading our family… at least not in the leadership sense of it all.”

Nico was surprised to hear such staunch support from the youngest member of the group, though, like all of the others, Molly had been forced to grow up much too quickly while they had been on the run. She heard a new sense of maturity in Molly’s voice and Nico couldn’t decide if she liked it or not. It was going to happen eventually, but Nico was a bit disappointed the growing up process had affected the girl so quickly. Molly met her eyes evenly. Nico was somewhat proud of the strength she saw there.

“We’re going to get Karolina and Gert back. This will be hard without the full team, but I believe we can rescue them.” Alex continued. “I’ll come up with a plan. We’ll make do.” he did his best to come across as confidently as possible… for Nico’s and Molly’s sakes. He knew that both of them were putting on their bravest front too.

\-----/////-----

“One last review, okay? We’re going to do this thing tonight.” Alex said insistently, even though they had gone over the plan eight times that day and who knew how many the day before. “After that I want everyone to get in a good nap before we go on the offensive. We’re going to attack PRIDE for the first time with only three people. We had never tried that before even at full strength, so this needs to go as close to plan as possible.”

“We get it, Alex. One more time, a rest, and then I am going to go get my girl back… Gert too, and maybe Chase if he’s seen the error of his ways” Nico said.   
“I want our family to be back together. We all need one another. We make each other better and that requires _all_ of us.”

“I agree,” said Molly. “we need Karolina to keep Nico balanced, and Gert to keep you balanced, Alex. I need her to be my sister. We need Chase to keep Gert in check… or at least mellowed out.”

Nico was impressed with Molly once again and she patted the girl’s shoulder to communicate that. Her statement was very insightful and Nico was inclined to agree. Still, she could feel darkness rising up inside … partly due to the staff but mostly coming from herself. Nico was glad the plan had been set up so Molly wouldn’t be around when she unleashed her powers. Taking Karolina out of the picture was PRIDE’s worst possible move.

“Alright, let’s all rest up, then we can go save our team… we’ve got this.” Alex announced, and clapped his hands sharply, and dismissed them after they ran through the plan one last time.

Nico curled up in the lonely bed, thinking of how much she missed Karolina. Their room was oddly decorated, but Nico liked it quite a lot. No matter where she went or looked, Nico found something new and interesting or odd. It had been fun to explore alongside Karolina. Now, when she found something crazy, the one person she wanted to tell wasn’t there. It only made her She was sad and scared without her girlfriend at her side.

Nico buried her face in Karolina’s pillow. Still, Nico could detect Karolina’s natural scent below the stubborn musty dust and pretended that the blonde was at her side for a lazy day in bed.

The door to the bedroom creaked and Nico shot up, half expecting to see a tall blonde in the doorway. Her heart broke a little bit more when she didn’t see Karolina there. Molly ducked shyly as she realized what the other girl must be thinking. She stepped into the other room anyway. Molly was dressed in her pajamas, a stuffed toy under one arm. Nico smiled softly back at her upon meeting her eyes.

“What’s up, kiddo? I do believe we are all meant to be napping or meditating or something right now?” Nico asked. She already had an idea as to where this was going. “It’ll all   
be alright.”

“Well, normally, I’d go to Gert for this… but you know…” Molly trailed off. Nico nodded back encouragingly. “Anyway, I can’t sleep. Would you be willing to let me crawl in with you? Just for the time being, until we get the others back.”

“Of course, Molls. Hop in.” Nico patted the bed beside of herself and began to build a pillow wall between the two of them. She noticed the questioning look on Molly’s face. “Just in case you kick. I can’t be risking any broken bones right before the rescue.”

Molly chuckled a bit to herself and settled in on her side peering over the pillow wall at Nico, who still held Karolina’s pillow tight against herself. “We’ll be okay, you know. We’re going to rescue the others, bring them home, and then we can be a family again.” Molly said and Nico wished for even a fraction of that confidence. In some ways, though, Molly’s courage became contagious.

“I really hope you’re right, kiddo. I do.” Nico sighed in response. Molly went quiet for a moment and Nico thought she might have gone to sleep.

“You wouldn’t happen to know any lullabies would you?”

\-----/////-----

Chase got up to look at his phone nearly every five minutes in frustration. All he wanted was to know that his friends were okay… if he could even call them that anymore. Still, he felt as though he deserved to know if the PRIDE had caught them all or not. Chase was definitely not going to ask his father, though. The man claimed to have changed after his near-death experience and his mysterious illness, but Chase had heard all of that before.

He shoved his phone into his pocket with a huff at the lack of response from any of the other Runaways and went to find his mother. If anyone were going to tell him what he needed to know, it was her. The Fistagons were still in the backpack he wore because he just wasn’t comfortable without them anymore. Especially not when he was living under the same roof as Victor Stein.

“Mom, I was just hoping… I was just wondering… if you would be willing, no, _gracious_ enough…” Chase practiced as he walked down the halls, trying to figure out what to say to convince her to tell him that everyone was alright because all of them had to be alright. He stopped himself short when he heard his father speaking on the phone just around the corner.

“What do you mean you don’t have the Yorkes girl? She was the only one besides the Wilder boy and Chase without abilities! Without the deinonychus, she was completely defenseless.” Victor was almost yelling, though his voice maintained an eerie calm that Chase was not used to hearing from his volatile father. “Find her and bring her back. The two that we already possess will have to do for now.”

Chase sucked in a deep breath at that statement. He was flooded with relief that Gert had gotten away and with a equal amount of concern for the others. Two had been captured. He doubted they would have been able to capture Molly, but those machines built to scramble Nico’s brains had worried him. For some reason, it gave him the vision of her whole head being stuck in a microwave and exploding like a Hot Pocket. Chase and Nico had never been particularly close, but he sure didn’t want her head to pop.

That left Karolina and Alex. Karolina could literally fly, but Chase doubted she would ever reveal her powers out in the public. Alex was just too smart to get caught. His back-up plans had back-up plans. Chase hated that he had led them all into this. The last thing he had wanted was for any of them to get hurt. Chase steadied himself and went into the lab. 

“Hey, uh hi, Dad.” he stumbled through the greeting as he stepped through the glass doors and saw the older man massaging his temples at his desk chair. “How are you feeling?”

“I could be better, but I’m glad you came back here… and that you came to greet me.” Victor sat up and wore a half-smile. “Your friends could not be convinced to do the same, I’m afraid. Only Karolina Dean could be captured.”

“Kar… Karolina is back with her parents?” Chase asked. “Is she _here_? I thought there were two of us you had captured.” Chase’s confusion tinted his voice and Victor Stein could nearly feel the concern radiating off of him. He didn’t particularly care. He wasn’t even the real Vicor Stein anyway.

“Who is the second?” Chase asked, suddenly aware of much time it would take to get the Fistagons out of his bag and onto his hands. He had known… deep down, that he would come to blows with the man again at some point. Chase just hadn't known it would be quite so soon.

“You!... my boy.” Jonah, in Victor Stein’s body, said before grabbing a torque wrench off of the lab bench and bashing Chase upside the head. Chase fell down like a sack full of bricks, unconscious. 

Jonah grabbed Chase’s leaden form by the shoulders and dragged him through the entrance to the room behind the lab. There were a series of clear glass tubes standing with white-clad forms inside of each one. One was Karolina Dean, her long, golden blonde hair floating behind her. A peaceful resting expression on her face. Jonah felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the sight.

\-----/////-----

Nico felt useless just trailing along behind Molly. The younger girl was already taller than Nico and about ten times as strong. She was supposed to be the leader and here little Moly Hernandez was, looking at her as though she needed protecting. The Staff of One had not been all that reliable as of late. She really hoped Molly wouldn’t end up needing her assistance. If anything happened that that girl she didn’t know what she would do… or how she would ever be able to face Gert again, much less Karolina.

The pair snuck through PRIDE headquarters, already closed for the weekend. Alex was outside in the Rolls, using his fancy laptop to shut down the security feed and directing them through the building. Molly had joked that it made her feel like a secret agent. Nico had laughed, but now she was glad for the guidance. She stuck close to Molly, weaving through the desks as they snuck through the central office and came to a set of sliding doors which only opened via a hand scanner off to the side.

“Alex, should I use the staff or have Molly force the door open?” Nico asked, running her fingers along the sides of the door frame, feeling for a locking mechanism. “I think this is Wizard technology. A Minoru family special. Robert and Tina working together for once in their life… for the cause of evil of course.”

“Funny, how that works, isn’t it?” Alex asked. His voice was slightly pained as well. He sighed heavily. “I’ll see if I can break in, but WizTech has almost always had me stumped… no, go ahead and have Molly handle it. They’ll know it was us eventually anyway.”

Nico nodded to Molly with a half-grin and her eyes flashed a glowing, bright yellow when she smiled back. The younger girl pulled the pink mask part of her hat down over her eyes, then wedged her fingers into the slight gap. With a strong pull that should not have seemed as easy as it did, Molly jammed her hands farther in and shoved the doors apart. Nico walked through with a nod of thanks and Molly followed, cracking her knuckles and neck with a vicious grin.   
Nico felt along the wall and flicked the switch she found there. The lights came on and the televisions along the walls flickered to life. Nico’s mind couldn’t process all of the information quickly enough.

“I can hold off another alert for a few more seconds. You have to hurry or the grown-ups… Gib security teams, will start to pour in. You’ve got… maybe five seconds.”

“That’s not enough time to take pictures of all of the screens.” Molly complained. “How are we…”

Nico’s staff began to glow and Molly shut up. “ _Screenshot!_ ” Nico announced and thumped The Staff of One on the ground in front of her. The shutter sound of an old-fashioned camera echoed throughout the room. The screens blinked and photos of each one fell to the floor.

Molly rushed to gather them up, cut the power to the room once more, and dragged Nico back out as she gasped for breath. The Staff seemed to be having a more intense effect on her with each use. Molly pushed the door back together and the girls leaned on one another to get back to the Rolls, Alex, and safety. Molly and Nico slid into the backseat. The car took off just as soon as the door slammed shut behind them. Molly was asleep across Nico’s lap within another moment.

“Did you get what we needed?” Alex asked softly, glancing at Nico in the rearview mirror.

“I think so.” Nico said with a tired sigh. “I used ‘screenshot’ for a spell so I have paper pictures back here. We can go over them once we’re back at the hideout once we have the kid in bed. There’s no use in scaring her.”

“Agreed.” said Nico and she fell quiet once more.

\-----/////-----

“So, that’s what we’ve figured out so far.” Nico and Alex explained to Molly and Leslie Dean.

Molly nodded seriously as she took it all in. Karolina’s mother only looked mildly panicked as the co-leaders continued laying out the information they had gathered. The girls had brought home photos of status screens… one for each Runaway, save for Chase Stein. It was assumed he was still safe at home with his family. The three remaining Runaways didn’t much care to know Chase’s fate, either.

“They have Karolina.” Leslie whispered lowly at the realization. “I have an idea of where they might be keeping her, and it’s likely the Stein boy is there as well, maybe Janet too.”

“Good, then at least we will know something of what we’ll be getting ourselves into.” Alex said, pushing his glasses up his nose, eyes flashing wickedly. He knew that this might be their most dangerous mission yet. “We will need all of the advantages we can get.”

“Alright, just tell me what to do.” Leslie said, amazed that she had grown desperate enough to be willing to take orders from children she had literally watched grow up. She didn’t like it much, but this was where she was now… at the mercy of a handful of teenagers. At least these were highly intelligent teenagers.

“You will be staying here and holding down the fort. You have no extra-normal powers _and_ you’re pregnant. We won’t be putting you at risk.” Alex said, his tone authoritative and not leaving room r to question his decision in the slightest. Leslie had never heard him speak like that before, and she was reminded of his mother. Clearly, the Wilders were a scary, scary family.

“Just because I’m pregnant and I don’t have powers… I’m not useless. I want to save my daughter just as badly as you do.” Leslie turned her gaze to Nico solely. “I _blame myself_ just as much as you do.”

“I would almost argue with you on that one.” Nico said with a scoff. Leslie felt almost equally guilty for her part in the darkness that so affected all the children of PRIDE. She wondered how she could have participated in such evil endeavors. Her own daughter… her Karolina, taken by the PRIDE for who knew what purposes.

“Well, I guess I will just have to be content with the knowledge someone who loves her will be rescuing Karolina.” Leslie Dean reached a hand out to Nico, who accepted hesitantly. She hadn’t been sure if she had her girlfriend’s mother’s approval. The look in Leslie’s eyes at that moment reassured her somewhat. Leslie noticed the shift in Nico’s face.

“You were scared that I wouldn’t approve?” Leslie asked. “I’ve been noticing the way you and my daughter look at one another for years. I think you are and you will be amazing for one another. Karolina is lucky to have you… and I hope you know how lucky you are to have her.”

“I...I do know how lucky I am.” Nico said softly as Alex shepherded Molly from the room. “I know that without her I don’t sleep anymore and that I feel like one of my limbs is missing. All of the light and all of the color has just gone out of my life. Don’t… don’t worry yourself about Karolina. I will get her back even if it kills me.”

“She wouldn’t want that and you know it, Nico.” Leslie corrected her immediately, back going rigid and looking deep into Nico’s eyes. They were dark and full of meaning. Leslie didn’t like the resignation she found there. She knew that Nico had meant was serious. She would die for Karolina Dean.

“I know she wouldn’t. That won’t stop me, and may the goddess help any of the rest of PRIDE who get between me and her.” Nico’s voice went dark and low, the Staff in her hand flashed dangerously. Leslie stumbled backward and away from the witch. Leslie had always been terrified when Tina channel the Staff’s awesome power.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I forget sometimes… how reactionary this thing can be.” Nico spun the wand in her hand.

“That’s why when it wasn’t hanging on your wall, Tina kept it inside of herself.” Leslie said with a shrug and a rather disgusted look on her face. 

“ _Inside?!_ Nico asked, suddenly overwrought by unwanted mental images and looked dubiously down at her hand. “Like.. inside of her _body?_ ” She grimaced as she attempted to put the facts together.

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. It lived like… here, from what I could tell.” Leslie pointed to her breastbone. “I thought that was really strange and tried not to think too much about the meaning.” Leslie shook her head as though trying to clear her mind of those memories. Nico wasn’t willing to accept this as the end of her answers though.

“No, no, please tell me how she did that. I’ve never… I wasn’t taught how to use The Staff of One. I’ve been winging all of this the whole time, and who knows what I could accomplish if I knew what I was doing. I just need to know more. ” Nico’s voice bordered on desperate. “I need to be strong enough to get Karolina back and then we can get Gert too. They… the others look to me to lead. I have to be at the top of my game for any of our plans to work.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you everything I know. It’s not much, but I’ll do my best to remember as much as I can.” Leslie said with a sigh. “I had a tendency to tune your mom out when she would talk about this stuff.”

“I know the feeling.” Nico agreed with a huff of a laugh.

\-----////-----

When Nico stepped out into the parlor area where the other two Runaways waited, she no longer held The Staff of One and was sucking on a cut finger. She winced lightly and shook her hand out. At the look from Molly and Alex, Nico offered a soft attempt at a smile. She wrapped an arm around Molly’s waist, marveling at the height difference. Nico could remember a time when Molly was half her size.

“Aren’t you going to bring your staff? You need your magic, right?” Alex asked, he seemed confused and a little put-out. Nico could see the outline of his pistol against his jeans and shirt. She hated that he even had the thing.

“I have my staff… and a thesaurus. Picked it up at a little book-shop when we were shopping for Moll’s quince.” Nico said in a tone that left no room for argument. She pulled the small book from where it was wedged into the band of her skirt. Nico hoped that would distract him since she could feel the weight of her magical conduit living inside of her chest and speaking to her. She acutely felt the Staff’s desire to be wielded. Nico was using nearly all of her will-power to battle the Staff of One. “Let’s just go.”

Molly patted Nico’s back and Alex just nodded before heading out to the Rolls. The group had learned to understand when Nico wasn’t able to talk about something, yet, and they could tell when she needed to. Alex and Molly knew Nico would only share when she was ready, and not a moment sooner. 

Nico lounged across the bench seat in the back of the car. Molly sat up straight in the front passenger’s seat and tried to seem important since the others didn’t often allow her to take the shotgun seat. Nico opened the thesaurus and flipped through to ‘heal’. She did her best to memorize all of the synonyms. Nico had a feeling those would be the most important for her to know, the members of her team seemed to be getting pretty beat up lately and she wanted to be ready to put them back together.

“You doing alright?” Alex asked, glancing back when they hit a stop sign. “Haven’t heard anything from back there in a while.”

He felt like he was scrambling to perk everyone up before the mission. His friends seemed as though they had already resigned themselves to their loss. Nico was looking up ways to save their lives and to protect them when shit inevitably hit the fan. Molly was picking at her fingernails and Alex couldn’t figure out the first thing he could possibly begin to say to her. He hadn’t ever been any good with kids.

“Yeah, I just thought I would work on getting a last minute cram session in. We need to be sure that I have all of the bases covered spell-wise.” Nico said with a bit of fear and foreboding in her voice that Alex didn’t like. “I want to be able to handle anything that gets thrown our way.”

“You aren’t solely in charge of our safety, Nico. We all decided to go on this rescue mission together and we knew the risks when we signed up. If I have anything to say about it, we will be alright.” Alex did his best to instill some faith into his friends. He didn’t want them to doubt his leadership skills or their faith in their own abilities either.

“I know that… but I’m having trouble convincing my heart. I just want to be as prepared as possible for whatever comes next.” Nico said as the car came to a stop. “I don’t want anyone of us to get lost to the PRIDE again because of me. Karolina said that she would always come back to me. Well, I waited for her and she’s not back yet. I say we go after her. What do you say, Molls? Alex?”

“I say that I hate you’re so much better at the send-off than I am, but yeah, I am definitely ready. Let’s go get our friends.” Alex replied.

“How about you, Molls? Are you ready to be Princess Powerful?” Nico asked, wanting to be sure all three of them were on the same page and ready to go. The youngest of their group was the one she was most concerned about, anyway.

Molly pulled her beanie down over her face so the mask portion disguised her eyes once more. She shot Nico that wicked grin once more and punched the palm of her hand fiercely. Molly rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms. She nodded decisively and Nico again was flooded with pride. They had all certainly come a long way from the kids they were when they first discovered what PRIDE was truly doing.

Nico extended a closed fist to Moly and the girl closed her fist and tapped Nico’s. Upon a closer look, Nico could see the underlying fear in Moly’s eyes. She understood. She was scared too, but she really wished she could help somehow. “Stick close to me, would you?” Nico asked after a moment's thought, laying one hand on Molly’s shoulder. “I’m a tiny little person.”

“Of course, you need my muscles and my cheery demeanor to get you through this.” Molly seemed to snap out of it and nudged Nico with her elbow. She offered a wry smile.

“You’re exactly right, kiddo.” Nico decided to give her that one and bumped Molly with her hip before approaching the Stein’s mansion. “I haven't been to this place in absolutely forever. It’s more… ostentatious than I remember.”

“The Stein family has always been absolutely ridiculous. If it weren’t for Chase I would think they were completely irredeemable… and even he isn’t great.” Alex's voice started off strong and ended in a derisive sort of mumble. They had been very good friends before Amy had died, but their teamwork still needed reparations.

“Molly and I are heading to the back door. Alex, are you ready? All according to plan, right?” Nico asked. She was hesitant, but Alex seemed a bit nerve-wrecked.

“Yeah… yeah, we’ve got this.” Alex said with a decisive nod as he drew his gun and cocked it, three back-up magazines already prepared in his pocket. Nico scowled. She hated that thing but wasn’t going to address the issue until they were through this.

“I’ll see you on the way back home.” Nico said. “Be safe.” She took Molly by the hand and led her around the house to the fenced in pool area

The two clambered over the fence, doing their best to avoid any cameras, but there was no way to be sure of avoiding them all without Nico burning a spell. She was surprised by how well she still knew the place. The house… more of a mansion, really, was completely terrifyingly silent. Nico hated quiet in the best of times, this true silence grated on her nerves. She led Molly through the halls and down a floor to the laboratory they had always been expressly forbidden to enter.

Not knowing had tortured Nico as a child. Her insatiable curiosity had gotten the better of her on more than one occasion. Nico wished that she were fulfilling her childhood curiosity under any other circumstances. Molly, in turn, reached up and patted Nico’s back as they arrived at the hidden door Chase and Gert had mentioned once. Nico’s heart warmed and for a moment she felt completely brave; steadfast even. Before she had Molly open the door she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss the younger girls’ forehead. When she turned back one last time after the super-powered girl opened the door, Molly could have sworn Nico had tears in her eyes.

Nico Minoru swallowed her fear after the last of Molly’s borrowed bravery left her. She blinked the tears from her eyes. The noise didn’t seem to have roused anyone from their hell holes. Nico’s heart stopped as the first thing she saw was Chase Stein, suspended in the clear tube as though he were peacefully asleep and dressed only in pure white underclothes. That alone told the young witch exactly what she was dealing with. When she turned to survey the rest of the room, Nico saw Janet Stein in the same condition, and then... Karolina Dean. Her heart fell through her chest, through the floor and all of the way into the earth below.

Nico began to search the laboratory for a knife, a scalpel, or anything that might be clean and sharp. She could feel The Staff of One. It echoed between her heartbeats, it called out to her mind, and her hands felt notably empty. Nico felt as though she _should_ be holding The Staff. She _needed_ to have The Staff of One in her hands immediately. Nico didn’t know if she was telling herself that or The Staff was imploring her.

Nico dumped out a drawer and found a first aid kit. She emptied that out to find a pair of scissors. They were meant to cut away clothing and the like, and they were still inside sterile packaging and sharp. At the moment that was what mattered. Nico tore them open and rolled up her sleeve. She only needed the smallest of incisions and cut into her flesh directly above another wound on the back of her left forearm. Blood dripped to the floor and she taped down the first available gauze pad over the laceration.

_“When blood is shed… let the Staff of One emerge!”_ Nico announced, and shefelt stupid at first, then she felt that tug in her chest and saw the circle that topped The Staff emerge from her abdomen with a searing split of her skin. There was no blood and only a moment of burning, fiery pain. She panted as it exited her body and appeared in her hand. The slash in her chest sealed and her dress showed no injury from the trauma. Nico thumped The Staff towards the floor as though it were already at full-size in her grip and it grew to suit her will. The inside of the circle began to flow with electric magical energy. Nico felt power flood her veins once more.

She pounded The Staff against the cold, concrete floor. _”Open!”_ she ordered and felt the magic expend from her body, through The Staff and out into the world. The back panels which were invisibly sealed before sprang open. Nico gently reached up and cradled Karolina’s body, lifting her girlfriend from the alien containment pod.

With a backward stumble, Nico eased Karolina down across her lap, one leg serving as a pillow for the blonde head. Nico patted Karolina’s cheek gently. She was calling her name softly, scared to draw any attention beyond the noise she’d already made. “Karolina!” Nico could feel a pulse in her throat and thankfully she heard a soft groan. As gently as she possibly could, Nico placed Karolina on the floor to finish waking up.

Nico rushed back to the door for Molly. “Come here and help me get Chase. I can’t lift him and Mrs.Stein is stuck in here as well. They aren’t waking up yet and I don’t want us to be here any longer than we’ll have to be.” Molly’s eyes went wide and she followed Nico quickly. The witch ran to check on Karolina before returning to Janet Stein. Molly noticed and even smiled to herself before her eyes flashed golden and she lifted Chase Stein from his pod as though he weighed nothing at all. Nico struggled a bit more with Janet Stein’s weight.

Molly helped Nico to move Janet up onto the stainless steel lab bench. They had all already agreed that one grown up in their hostel… their home was too many. Nico, Molly, and Alex would not be bringing Janet Stein home with them. Karolina groaned a bit louder, moving to cradle her head in one hand, as she pushed up into a sitting position. Nico was at her side within a second, sitting down behind her to take her weight when Karolina wobbled.

“Ni… Nico? What- What happened?” Karolina asked, long blonde hair tangled from the long period of time spent in the containment pod. “Where am I?”

“I love you.” Nico spat out as though she had been holding the words back for too long. “When we last spoke I tried to tell you that I love you.”

Her arms were tight around Karolina’s middle, holding her against Nico’s own smaller body as though she never intended to let her girlfriend go again. The alien girl could feel something wet and warm fall into the crook of her neck as Nico cried quietly in relief. Molly was busy trying to rouse Chase and get him on his feet. 

“I know, Nico, and I love you too. With everything I’ve got.” Karolina said softly and leaned back into Nico with a bit more of her weight. “Let’s get out of here and go back home.”

Chase cursed and pushed his way shakily to his feet. “Can I at least put on some clothes first?”

“You aren’t going to have time.” said a deep male voice from the doorway. “I recommend you step back up and into the pod, my boy.”

“I am not your boy and you are not my father. You’re just wearing his skin.” Chase spat back at Jonah in Victor Stein’s body, the skin of his arms flaking visibly now, just as Nico said, “Karolina, get behind me.” and pushed her way up to her feet to stand in front of her girlfriend.

“You are lying to yourself if you think you are going to fight your way past me.” Jonah laughed. “Especially if you think my daughter is going to leave with you.”

“Daughter or not, I came here to get Karolina and to bring her home. We’re her real family. ” Nico made herself as intimidating as possible, brandishing the Staff in defiance. “You aren’t her family and you never were. Let us leave and no one will get hurt.” The Staff of One sent up a shower of sparks in response to her words.

Karolina put a hand on Nico’s shoulder to steady her and show her support. Molly still was propping Chase up, but both seemed ready to do whatever needed to be done.

“I would recommend you let them pass. Jonah, you might not be affected by human weapons the same way we are, but I bet you being shot would still hurt like a _bitch_.” Alex’s gun clinked distinctively as he pressed the cold barrel to the back of Jonah’s head, after appearing from the same passage that Jonah had entered from.

“I would recommend you _Stay_.” Nico said, wincing a little bit at having to use a second spell when she really was trying her hardest to hold back. Another burst of power shot out from her and directly into Jonah. She was beginning to feel the toll Leslie had warned her of beginning to take effect. Jonah was frozen in place and snarled at her as she smirked, despite her tiredness.

“You’ve been learning a bit more about that magic wand of yours, I see. How’s that feeling now, Harry Potter?” Jonah scoffed. “Remember, these pathetic human bodies can only contain so much blood.”

“Guys, get on out. This spell won’t hold him forever and the longer I have to hold it, the worse it’s going to get for me.” Nico ordered as Alex lowered his own weapon, content to know that Nico was holding him magically.

Nico waited for everyone to clear the room before she followed, knowing she had only shed enough blood for the spell to hold Jonah another five to ten minutes.

“Keep moving!” she yelled to the other four ahead of her. “I’m not going to be able to stay on my feet if I have to keep this up much longer.”

Alex led them right out into the garage, deciding to ditch the Rolls-Royce for something a bit faster. During his last encounter with his own parents, he’d discovered his taste for speed. Luckily, the LeapFrog had enough room for all of them and enough horses to please Alex as he started the car with the keys left inside. He only paused for a moment to be sure everyone was inside and buckled before speeding off.

“Is everyone okay?” he asked, breathing heavily when he merged into regular traffic, sure they were no longer being followed.

“We’re here and for the most part all in one piece. Some of us are kinda naked but alive and safe for now.” Nico said, hissing when she noticed her arm still bleeding. She was completely exhausted and leaned heavily against Karolina. Her still bleeding arm explained why the _Stay_ spell had worked so well.

“I can’t believe just the three of you stormed the house and got out with literally only one scratch, albeit a nasty scratch.” Chase said with a heavy sigh. He still seemed a bit distant after the experience. “That looks pretty nasty, Nico. Are you alright?”

Karolina lifted the arm Chase had gestured to and looked beneath the bandage at the wound. Red dripped onto the formerly pristine white tank-top and shorts they had been wearing in the pods. Nico winced at the injury. Chase pulled his tank top off over his head and passed to Karolina for use as a makeshift bandage. The taller girl was as gentle as she possibly could be as she pulled the cloth tight to bind the wound.

“The Staff demanded a sacrifice. The more blood I shed, the stronger my spells.” Nico said darkly. “Jonah was right. I’ve been learning to work with The Staff of One, instead of one of us attempting to control the other. Karolina once told me this darkness was my power and that I ought to learn to control it. It’s working out pretty well.”

She didn’t realize how what she had said sounded like to her friends. Nico was still thinking of how she felt harnessing her power. They had won a victory. Saving her love, and restoring her family. For at least a brief moment, Nico had felt strong, she was the strongest person in the world.

Karolina could only see her girlfriend; burning with fever, bleeding from a small cut that wouldn’t seem to close, and only half-awake after maintaining the spell. Her fear for Karolina was what almost killed her. The taller girl pulled Nico against herself the way Nico had done for her earlier. She combed silky, though sweaty, raven black hair out of her face. Karolina kissed Nico’s forehead as they arrived back at the hostel.

Chase moved to stand behind Karolina, one arm outstretched to carry Nico if needed. Karolina appreciated the spirit behind the offer, but she could remember the safety and peace she had felt when it was Nico lifting her down from the pod. Karolina knew she was strong enough and waved Chase away. She picked Nico up and gestured for him to go and help Molly who had as usual worn herself out during the rescue.

“Yeah, go… and put on some damn clothes.” Nico mumbled the order. The light in her staff died out, clutched tightly to her chest as her head lolled against Karolina’s shoulder. Karolina chuckled at the words, then stood watching in horror as The Staff of One melted through Nico’s clothing and skin to disappear into her body.

“Whoa.” she said lowly, her voice betraying her shock and carried Nico into the hostel. “That’s new.”

Chase held the door open for Karolina to carry Nico through and was truly touched by the way the tall blonde looked down at her girlfriend with such adoration. He wondered if he looked the same way when he was admiring his own Gertrude Yorkes. Karolina lowered Nico to the chaise in the parlor room where she had once demanded they train to work as a team. The tall blonde looked to him for a moment and nodded to him to convey her understanding of his sentiments. She knew he had to be terrified for Gert, even as she and Nico were relieved to have one another back. 

“She was right… you really need to put some clothes on.” Karolina said. She pressed her lips to Nico’s forehead, turning away from Chase once more.

The fever had broken and Nico seemed to be sleeping peacefully. When Karolina’s hand brushed Nico’s, the other girl unconsciously grabbed for it. With her free hand, Karolina looked beneath the makeshift bandage on her arm. The cut had healed completely in a matter of minutes. Karolina was glad, but not sure that she appreciated the new and powerful sway The Staff of One held over Nico. She sighed heavily and wondered what else she had missed.

“I thought she might lose herself while you were away. She had this crazed look in her eyes like she had lost all sense of direction. Nico didn’t know what to do without you.” Leslie Dean said as she came to stand behind her daughter. “I understood the feeling, of course, but I was pleasantly surprised by her adamant passion. I hadn’t seen that coming… especially after Amy.”

“Mom…” Karolina stood to hug her mother, rightly but carefully. When she back away, she laid one hand over the beginnings of the baby bump. “I love you and I would have told you about us… if, well, you know. It was new and surprising and wonderful.”

“Yes, Nico and I got to talk about that a bit. I saw the signs over the years, but Nico was the most taken aback out of anyone, I would expect. It’s good to know you have had someone by your side who deeply cares for you all of this time.” Leslie said sincerely.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. It hasn’t always been smooth going but it’s been worth it… did she tell you about the ‘lamp’ thing? It was probably the cutest…”

“Uhg, Karolina?” Nico asked groggily, wincing against the light. “Why aren’t we in our room? What’s… Oh, hi, Mrs.Dean.”

Nico blushed and swung her legs around so she could sit up. The Staff was no longer in her hands, but she could feel the energy inside. Nico couldn’t decide exactly if she was comfortable with the presence inside. 

“That would be my cue to head on to my own room… on the farthest side of this wretched place from yours.” Leslie said mostly to herself and kissed both of their cheeks before making her exit.

Karolina held her hand out towards Nico, going to let her girlfriend lean her weight onto her if she needed to. Nico stood up and held her own weight, smiling brightly at Karolina. Even after everything they had been through, Karolina’s heart skipped beats when Nico would look at her. She felt her own smile begin to grow.

“I’ve hated it, Karrie. Not having you here has been completely intolerable.” Nico said, her hand tightening around Karolina’s The blonde was glad to see that the other girl was back to her usual self. Karolina led them to their bedroom.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and heaved a sigh of relief. Nico stepped forward, standing between Karolina’s knees and holding both of her hands. “Karolina, are you sure that you’re okay? Nothing feels different or… probed?”

“No, babe. I just feel happy to be home and with you. I bet you’ve not been sleeping much… and your _abilities_ ” Karolina shook her head. “Seeing you like that was terrifying, and where did The Staff of One even _go_?!”

“I had to see you in that _thing_ , Karolina. When I helped you out of the tube… your pulse took a minute to start back up. I felt the whole world come crashing down around me…” Nico said slowly; almost as though the words were painful. “I had plenty of time to think of all of the possible worst case things they could be doing to you during every second while we were regrouping and planning. Even after everything we have been through; _this_ was the most scared I have ever been. Of course I was willing to do whatever it took to save you… you’re my Karolina and I need you.”

Karolina smiled sadly and held Nico’s gaze for a long moment. Nico’s eyes were dark, full of love, and a little scared that Karolina would not approve of her actions with the staff. Strong arms wrapped around Nico’s waist and pulled her in even closer. Both of them breathed heavily, finally allowing the emotions they had been squashing to get through the danger. Now that Karolina and Nico could hold each other once more, they felt safe to fully feel and release all the turmoil of the day. 

“I need out of these clothes… like right now.” Karolina said and pulled back making a face that told Nico it was definitely not in a sexy way. “White used to be a good color for me.”

“Personally… I think any, all, and no colors are good on you.” Nico attempted to flirt but her voice was tired as well and she was still covered in blood and sweat. “It’s been really hard to get any sleep here without you.”

“I remember how that felt.” Karolina replied softly. “Why don’t you come and help me to get this horrid smell out of my hair, and then we can work on getting you caught up on sleep. I’ll help you with your hair in exchange. Goop and blood got everywhere.”

Karolina quirked her chin and lowered one shoulder at Nico suggestively, leaning forward to kiss her softly, reacquainting herself with the softness of Nico’s lips. Nico  
pressed into her almost immediately, building heat as the kiss continued. There was no way they could have ever forgotten how it felt to kiss one another. Still, the reminder that it hadn’t all been a beautiful dream was nice.

Karolina stood and took Nico’s hand. She led the shorter girl towards the shower and adjusted the water in a heavy and expectant silence. Karolina checked the temperature once more before wordlessly peeling away the ruined white garb she wore. Nico watched her with her breath still caught in her chest. When Karolina looked back at her with a question in her eyes, Nico fell over herself to disrobe.

Before Nico had the chance to say a thing, Karolina was pressing her against the cold tile wall. Despite the hot water raining down over their bare backs and running through their hair; Nico shuddered. The heat between them was almost overwhelming compared to the cold of the stone. Nico clung to Karolina’s shoulders hanging on as tightly as she dared, and reminding herself that Karolina was actually really there. Slowly, but surely, all thoughts of anything but the girl in her arms burned away and Nico’s mind was completely at peace.


End file.
